Small shells with broccoli rabe and sausage is among pasta offerings at Sacramone's in East Meadow. (March 5, 2012) (Credit: Jeremy Bales)

Pasta with broccoli rabe and sausage, a popular dish at Long Island Italian restaurants, has its origins in Puglia, where it's generally made with orecchiette, or ear-shaped pasta. In this part of the world, the pasta used is almost always short and stubby, the better to cradle the pieces of sausage and greens bathed in garlic and oil. Here are three fine examples of the dish: